After completing a will, most people put it in a safety deposit box and don't bother looking at it again. This is a mistake because wills should be reviewed periodically, especially if there have been significant changes in your life such as…

 marriage (because your will is revoked when you are married),

 divorce (because it revokes a gift to the former spouse, and in many cases that is most of the will),

 the birth of a child (because you’ll want to deal with guardianship, support etc…),

 the majority of a child (because you won’t have to deal with guardianship, may want to do something about support, specific bequests),

 a major acquisition or disposition of property,

 the death of a spouse or other family member mentioned in the will, and

 executor dies or reaches a state of physically or mental disability.

Never attempt to revise your own will by scratching out or marking up existing clauses. When making alterations to your will, taking the time to follow the legal formalities will ensure that your will remains valid, up-to-date and that your estate is dispersed according to your wishes.

Mykhaylo Arbetov, MSc, CFP, FMA
phone (604) 875-8878
email: michael@arbetov.com
www.ArbetovInsurance.com

While traveling around Canada we strongly recommend you always to have about you a Provincial Care Card (in British Columbia it is called a British Columbia Care Card). This card covers your visits to a doctor throughout the country (except Quebec). To have a free service you will simply have to produce your medical insurance card. If you really need treatment a licensed physician or an oral surgeon from the given province will give you medical assistance. This kind of service is covered by the insurance of the province you reside.

As to medical service in Quebec and abroad most often Provincial Care Card covers there your visits to a doctor and other medical expenses in the amount that does not exceed the cost of similar services in the provinces you reside. For example the cost of medical treatment for a resident of British Columbia in a hospital of another country is covered on the basis of CAD $75 per day and real cost of one day in a hospital of the USA can constitute from one to several thousands US dollars.

It is clear that a Provincial Care Card is not enough to travel abroad. Examine an Insurance Scheme of your employer. In some cases the Scheme provides such benefits that will allow you to travel without fear to lose money in case of an unexpected disease. Study carefully all the events and insured accidents, which are covered by the employer’s insurances.

Owners of some credit cards have different Schemes of “Emergency travel Assistance”. Read carefully what and when is covered by the insurance. It may happen that your insurance allows you only to get medical consultations by the telephone 1-800 as well as to get advice on the following problems: transportation of a diseased person, how to find lost luggage, first expenses money, ticket exchange. Only the financial institution that owns the card can give you the final answer what exactly is covered by this card.

Recommended insurance coverage to travel abroad constitutes $2,000,000 or more for medical treatment and stay in a hospital (“Emergency Excess Medical and Hospital Expense”). Though you can buy tourist insurance in a travel agency it is recommended to buy it from an insurance agent . He is a professional in this field of activity and insurance is his basic business and not the side one. An insurance agent may help you interpret your employer’s scheme of medical coverage and to prepare documents for an insurance company to pay out insurance compensation in case of necessity.

If you are traveling to another province in Canada you can buy on-line private travel insurance for Canadian  for half price as for traveling abroad.

If you have guests from another country or you have just arrived in Canada do not forget to buy a Guest insurance over internet  . In critical situations failure to have such insurance can cause great expenses.

It is very convenient not only for Canadian residents but also for all those who are going to come here to buy insurance by telephone, fax or through the Internet.

More than ever in good health . . .
Canadian baby-boomers and retirees seem satisfied with their health status. 89% of actives and 82% of retirees claim they are in good or very good health. Canada and the other Anglo-Saxon countries are parts of the world where the largest percentage of people considers themselves in very good health (40% for actives and 33% for retirees). At the other end of the scale, Spaniards and Japanese consider themselves in less good shape. Only 21.5% of Spaniards and 14.5% of Japanese say they are in very good health.
Pollution and stress: Major threats to our health . . .
To the question, “What threatens your health?” Canadians answered that pollution is the worst item in terms of threat to their health (90% of actives and 87% of retirees), closely followed by stress (87% of actives and 78% of retirees) and fast food (74% of actives and 62% of retirees). Compared with the citizens of the other surveyed countries, smoking and alcohol are two of the factors Canadians perceive as least threatening to their good health.
The AXA Retirement Scope
The AXA Retirement Scope is an international study whose objectives are exploring and understanding the attitudes of the population towards retirement and comparing its image to its reality.
The study, whose sample includes both actives and retirees, was carried out among 11,590 persons in 16 countries, from August 14 to September 10, 2006, in Canada, by a consortium of research companies led by the GFK Group and represented by CROP in Canada. The analyzed countries are as follows: Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, the Netherland, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States and Singapore.
About AXA Canada
Operating throughout Canada, AXA Canada offers its clients, thanks to its 2,200 employees and 4,000 brokers and advisors, an extensive range of damage and life insurance products and financial services. In 2006, sales amounted to CAN$1.654 billion and net earnings reached CAN$175.5 million. AXA Canada is a member of the AXA Group, a world leader in Financial Protection, whose activities mostly take place in Western Europe, North America and the Asia/Pacific region. Worldwide, 52 million clients have put their trust in AXA.
You may examine all the Canadian results of the AXA Retirement Scope (with international comparison) on the following website: www.axa.ca .